- What: Los Angeles Kings vs Edmonton Oilers - First Round Stanley Cup Playoffs Game 2
- Where: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta
- When: Wednesday, April 19th at 10 PM ET
The Los Angeles Kings took a huge 1-0 lead in their Stanley Cup Playoffs series with the Edmonton Oilers on Monday evening, overcoming a two-goal deficit to eventually win on the road. Now, we look ahead to Game 2 on Wednesday as Connor McDavid and Co. look to bounce back after a rather sloppy Game 1 with far too many penalties. The puck drops at 10 PM ET here. Find the Kings vs Oilers Game 2 picks below.
Before we get into the odds and preview for Wednesday's encounter, make sure to check out our online sportsbook reviews, and the top NHL betting sites.
Kings vs Oilers Game 2 Odds
Despite the Game 1 defeat, Edmonton remains a heavy favorite on Wednesday with moneyline odds of -220. That's an implied win probability of 68.75%. Los Angeles comes back at +180 for a 35.71% chance of coming out victorious. Of course, these two teams also met in the opening round of the playoffs last year, with the Oilers moving on in seven games.
Exciting Series Opener
There was no shortage of excitement in Game 1 and it gave all hockey fans a glimpse into what's ahead. The Oilers came out of the gates with all guns blazing, taking an early 2-0 lead in the first period. Leon Draisatl capped off a tremendous shift with a beauty of a shot from the face-off circle before defenceman Evan Bouchard sniped home a wrister shortly after. Edmonton appeared to be in cruise control, but after a scoreless second period, everything unraveled in the third.
The Kings got on the board early through Adrian Kempe, who started the comeback. Draisatl answered with a goal of his own to put the Oilers up 3-1, but Kempe and Anze Kopitar proceeded to take advantage in the latter stages of the period with a goal apiece. Kopitar's equalizer also came on the powerplay with only 16 seconds left in regulation. The 35-year-old was undoubtedly the star of the show, collecting four points on the night, including three assists as well. He set up Alex Iaffalo for the overtime winner.
Perhaps the most surprising part of this game is McDavid was kept off the scoresheet. In fact, he didn't tally a single point and finished as a -2. That's obviously huge for the Kings, who can absolutely win this series if the best player in hockey doesn't produce. The thing is, that's not going to happen. We're talking about a guy who had 153 points during the regular season.
On a more positive note for the Oilers, they also dropped the series opener to LA in 2022 as well. There won't be any panic, but Edmonton has to be much better when it comes to limiting the penalties. The Kings scored two of their goals on the power play. They also simply can't blow leads like that again. After all, this is the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Kings vs Oilers Game 2 Picks
Edmonton is far too good of a team to not respond here after a crushing loss that undoubtedly stung. Their previous two wins against the Kings were by two goals, therefore I'm looking at the puck line Wednesday. Expect McDavid to shine after a quiet series opener.
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